Local broadcaster, author and professor Ian Punnett died Thursday following a brief illness. He was 63.
Punnett was the Chief Operator and Faculty Advisor for Kansas State University’s student radio station Wildcat 91.9 FM. He joined K-State in 2018 as a professor of practice in the A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication. Retired A.Q. Miller School Director Steve Smethers was one of Punnett’s colleagues.
“First of all this news hits us very hard. Ian Punnett was a ray of sunshine. He brought such a professional quality into the classroom. It was his efforts that really put that radio station in the national spotlight. Ian was a man who could teach so many things, everything from media history to media law to our basic introductory course. His talents on the faculty will be missed, but what we’ve really lost is a quality human being,” he said.
Under Punnett’s leadership, Wildcat 91.9 FM was recognized as the Best College/University Radio Station in the nation for schools with more than 10,000 students at the 2023 Intercollegiate Broadcasting Awards ceremony, held in New York City in February.
In addition to his work at K-State, Punnett was a weekend host of Coast to Coast AM, heard overnights on News Radio KMAN, and hosted a podcast entitled Vaudeville for the Frightened. Coast to Coast AM Executive Producer Lisa Lyon issued the following statement Friday afternoon.
“I’ve had the privilege of producing for Ian these past 24 years, and I will miss our friendship and the professional collaboration. Every conversation behind the scenes was as lively and entertaining and everything we strive for on the air. Ian was great radio personified.”
His broadcasting career spanned 35 years, including stints in hard rock morning radio during the 1990s and working for stations like WGN in Chicago and WGST in Atlanta. He also co-hosted a morning show with his wife at KTMY in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In October, Punnett was inducted into the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife Margery and two sons. Funeral services are pending.
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